Ever looked at your child and felt like she's grown so much and so suddenly? Then you look at the other kids in the neighborhood and they have turned into giants, too? Because you are now looking up at them? It turns me into a mess because I start worrying whether she is getting the nutrition she needs to see her through this growth spurt. That always sends me in the direction of the energy store: sprouts.

This time I sprouted masoor or lentils. I had several friends who would bring sprouted masoorichi usal for lunch and I willingly traded my lunch for theirs. We never sprouted masoor in our family and I am not entirely sure why - even though masoor was and is always a staple in our pantry. They are not toxic when sprouted, for sure. I threw all inhibition aside and went ahead. Now, I am even more flummoxed because these are the easiest to sprout! Easier than green beans, matki and vaal. They also cook very quickly and are a delight to discerning taste buds.

To sprout whole masoor or whole lentils:

Soak overnight, 2 cups of masoor in 4 cups of water. Or for 6-8 hours.

Drain the water and rinse them well.

Keep them in a colander or even the inner basket of your salad spinner and cover.

A warm and dark environment helps.

Check them after another 8-10 hours and you should see small sprouts already.

Rinse them again and cover for another 8-10 hours. They should be ready by then.

Add water, cover and cook on medium-low flame for about 20 minutes until the masoor has cooked. Do not overcook the sprouts.

Garnish with chopped onions and cilantro and wedges of lime.

Notes:

This is a meal that must be planned ahead as the masoor takes 2 days to sprout well.

Medha likes to add Khatta Meetha to hers while her Dad prefers the spicier Bhujia Sev or Hot Mix. (These can be found at your friendly neighborhood Indian grocery store.)

I don't eat oily fried stuff - except to celebrate blogversaries - so instead I douse my usal with yogurt and also add a splash of cilantro-mint-ginger chutney. Mine is then more of a misal. Nupur has an excellent post on misal, with updates from her Mom.

I usually add julienned ginger with the garlic or just ginger and skip the garlic.

My recipe is a very basic usal and this can be made with any other type of sprouted bean, too. Matki is one of our favorites.

What have you sprouted this summer? Not in the ground but in your kitchen?

Oh and this is not my entry to Bee's Grow Your Own event. Just saying. Especially since most of you will be wondering.

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comments:

I like usal the misal way! The crunchy onion, crispy sev, and tart tomatoes, and the yoghurt, add the perfect texture to this healthy dish.

I sprouted matki and mung last week. The matki was cooked, similar you your usal (with some goda masala), with green beans, while the mung didn't sprout (aged seed I guess) and was steamed and served like you have served these.

What's going on?! What else have you been growing on your own?! Looking forward to more recipes! ;-)

Kitt, sprouts are a powerhouse and very healthy. Try these! They are really easy to make.

How do you sprout sweet potatoes? I thought they last forever. I had sweet potatoes in my basement for over a year before I used them. No sprouts. They didn't even rot! They were gorgeous in color and the flavor did not seem to have changed.

For my reckless behavior I humply apologize madame, but I am astounded at the little harvests popping up on here from someone who insists that they are so agriculturally challenged. Now you just have to get past the next hurdle: leaves. ;-)

so what u gonna post for GYO???? ;) I am all ears and eyes!!! i love sporouts and usli is my all time fv dish to make using any sprouts. i like to cook or rather stri fry for a while (i like it better than uncooked ones) with very few ingredients. lovely pics manisha.

The masoor dal sold commonly in the stores is the split orange lentil, and this will not sprout. You have to ask for whole masoor or chilkawali masoor, or as we used to call it in our childhood, bedbug dal. Thanks for the recipe.

Chitchat? Was she here? Yeah, you did a good thing by disallowing her comments - too cute for her own good. As is that Batcheat. And Pel has already apologised for his behaviour...I'd leave a note, as requested, but this is not on Flickr...

And, in these parts (N India), dal=lentil, in whatever form it may be, split, or not, skinned, or not; usually qualified by adding sabut for whole, chilka for "with skin" (un-hulled), and dhuli for skinned - no ambiguity.

Anita, too much tequila? Again? The notes *are* on Flickr, sweetie, which is where I directed you.

We use the word dal only when it is split. Otherwise it is understood that it is not hulled or split. Less is more. No need for extra words. And no ambiguity either. And whoever wrote the wiki on it seems to agree. Although they do have a para just for you. :-D

Bee, he is? Is he going to start doing memes also now? Did he leave a comment on every entry? It's part of the hosting and round-up duties as I am sure he knows.

I agree with you Manisha. Whenever it is mentioned as dal, I take it as split one....Anita's comment is a total eye opener. I did not know why many people on my blog kept asking if I meant whole or split when I mentioned moong or masoor. It never made sense to me when I read whole masoor dal :(.

Yup, misal it is for me :). With extra mirchi and tikhat sev please :-D.

Yum, yum, yum :).

My other favorite is kulith usal (not sprouted, just cooked) and the saar made from the kulith broth, with some dahi mixed and a jeera-hing phodni. Total bliss. And usals work so well as a sandwich stuffing!!

Shilpa, well thank God there is at least one person who knows what I am talking about!

Musy, when are you posting recipes for all those yummies? Soon, I hope!

Padma, thank you! They were basking in the glow of the setting sun.

Anita, we don't address them at all. These were never in our list of staples. We only ever had whole green moog and moogachi dal. No in-betweens. I was introduced to the in-betweens at a Punjabi friend's house - in khichadi laced with major amounts of ghee.

In-betweens...hee hee. I remember I asked someone about this once...because M. Jaffrey would refer to "whole moong" and "moong dhal" or "moong dhal with skins" and then I visited some blogs where they were ALL dhal, and some not. Confusing. India. Gotta love it.